1. Field of the Invention
An aspect of the present invention relates to a clip, for example, inserted into a mounting hole formed in a body panel of a vehicle for fixing.
2. Description of the Related Art
A clip is used to mount a mounting-subject member such as a trim board to a mount-base member such as a body panel of a vehicle, for example.
JP-3120355-B discloses a clip composed of a synthetic resin base (hereinafter, referred to as a “base”) and a metal spring body (hereinafter, referred to as a “spring body”). The base includes an enlarged head portion and a shaft portion, defines a slit extending from the enlarged head portion to inside the shaft portion and fitted in by the spring body, and is provided with a guide wall having a narrow temporary clipping portion and a wide final clipping portion within the slit of the shaft portion side. The spring body includes a stopper portion larger than a mounting hole, a pair of swelling portions hanging from both ends of the stopper portion and swelling outward, and a pair of curved portions bent back upward and inward from a lower end of respective swelling portions and engaged with the temporary clipping portion and the final clipping portion in a step-like manner.
The curved portion of the spring body is fitted to the temporary clipping portion inside the slit by inserting the spring body from the slit of the base, whereupon the spring body is clipped temporarily with the base. In this state, the clip is inserted into a mounting hole formed in a mount-base member and a mounting hole formed in a mounting-subject member, and the stopper portion of the spring body is engaged with a front side circumference of the mounting hole of the mounting-subject member. After that, the enlarged head portion of the base is pushed in, whereupon the pair of curved portions of the spring body abut against the wide final clipping portion of the base, and the pair of swelling portions of the spring body are swollen outward. The pair of swelling portions are engaged with a back side circumference of the mounting hole of the mount-base member, whereby the mounting-subject member is mounted to the mount-base member via the clip.
JP-3120356-B discloses a fastener composed of a synthetic resin pin and a metal clip. The pin includes a head flange and a shaft portion, and the shaft portion includes a diameter-expanded portion and a diameter-reduced portion. The clip includes a pressing portion formed with a through-hole for inserting the pin in the center and a pair of leg portions. The fastener further includes spring portions formed by outwardly folding back distal ends of the leg portions to be engaged with the back side circumference of the mounting hole.
The shaft portion of the pin is inserted from the through-hole of the clip, and the distal end of the leg portion of the clip is engaged with the diameter-reduced portion of the pin, whereby the clip is temporarily clipped to the pin. In this state, the fastener is inserted into a mounting hole of a mount-base member and a mounting hole of a mounting-subject member, and the pressing portion of the clip is engaged with the front side circumference of the mounting hole of the mounting-subject member. When the pin is further pushed in, the pair of leg portions are expanded by the diameter-expanded portion, the spring portions formed by being folded back outside the leg portions are engaged with the back side circumference of the mounting hole of the mount-base member, whereby the mounting-subject member is mounted to the mount-base member via the fastener.
In the clip of JP-3120355-B, a slit is required at the shaft portion and enlarged head portion of the base in order to assemble the spring body with the base, and thus, the structure of the base is complicated. Further, in a final fixing state where the mounting-subject member is fixed with the mount-base member, the pair of curved portions abut against the final clipping portion of the base, whereby deformation of the pair of swelling portions having been engaged with the back side circumference of the mounting hole is restricted. As a result, since an expanding amount at the stopper portion side of the spring body is insufficient, it is not suitably applicable to the mount-base member having thin plate thickness, and backlash may arise in some cases.
In the fastener of JP-3120356-B, a through-hole for inserting the pin is required in the center of the pressing portion of the clip. Further, since the spring portion engaged with the back side of the mounting hole is formed by folding back each side of the clip outside, the structure of the clip is complicated, and there is a problem in terms of productivity.